Toilet and toilet seat protector

ABSTRACT

A protective shield for a toilet bowl having a toilet seat connected thereto is disclosed. The toilet has an upper edge on which said toilet seat rests. The upper edge of the toilet has an inside surface and an outside surface. The shield is in the form of a sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of side edges, a front surface and a rear surface. The sheet has at least one retaining means in proximity to the rear surface of said sheet for maintaining said sheet in position on said toilet. The bottom edge of said shield extends into the toilet without touching any of the water in the bowl and the top edge extends upwardly so that the area where the toilet seat is connected to the toilet bowl is protected by the shield.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improvements in toilet and toilet seatsanitation, more particularly, directing the spray of urine into thebowl and preventing the urine from entering the area between the seatand the bowl of the toilet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the problems faced by parents of young children is the issue oftoilet training. Young boys, in particular, are not particularly carefulwhen they urinate thus causing urine to be sprayed not just into thetoilet but also onto the underside of the toilet seat and thesurrounding area. One area that is commonly sprayed is the regionbetween the toilet seat and the toilet where the toilet seat isconnected to the toilet. This area is also particularly difficult toclean once it has been soiled. Urine can flow not only between the seatand the bowl but also between the bolts and the orifices in the bowl forconnecting the seat to the toilet. Thus in order to clean this areathoroughly, the only preferred way is to remove the seat from thetoilet, washing the affected area and reconnecting the seat. It will beappreciated that this is time consuming and difficult. In addition, onmany older installations it is not always a simple task to remove theseat from the toilet. Many older seats have metal threaded members and ametal nut that can corrode over time due to contact with water causingthe two to become difficult to separate and later reinstall once thearea has been cleaned.

Over the years there have been various products available to assist theparent in toilet training a young boy and in particular to assist him inhaving the urine actually enter the bowl. There have been severalproducts that are attached to the toilet ad which hang into the bowlsome distance that provide a target for the child to aim for.Alternatively, there have been products that float in the water in thebowl that provide an aiming surface for the boy to direct the urinestream. While these products are efficacious to some extent, they do notsolve the problem. One reason why they do not solve the problem is thatthere are many instances where the child has become absorbed in play andwaited to the very last minute to seek relief. In these instances, theurgent need to evacuate overcomes any effort to keep the urine streamwithin the confines of the bowl or to aim at an artificial target. Asimilar situation arises on many mornings where the child has beenasleep all night. When the child awakens, due to the time that haspassed since the night before, the child frequently has to urinatequickly. In these instances also, the child is more likely to be lesscareful with the urine stream than he would otherwise be, thus causingurine to be sprayed outside the bowl and onto the seat of the toilet andelsewhere.

In order to alleviate the cleaning problem many parents require theyounger boys to sit on the toilet seat or a specially designed pottyseat even though the boy is tall enough to use the toilet bowl from astanding position. While sitting on the toilet seat solves the immediateproblem the parent is actually only putting off the time when the boyhas to stand to urinate. In addition, the potty seats often have a guardat the front tip of the seat that can make it difficult or even painfulfor the boy to sit on the seat by himself, or even when he is lifted inplace or gets down himself. Even if the child is older, whether throughcarelessness or inaccuracy the problem still seems to be present.

As a result, there is a need for a device that will protect the surfacesof the toilet from errant streams of urine that is easy to assemble, maybe left in place and is easily cleaned after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problem of soiled toilet seats andprotects the area between the toilet seat and the bowl that is difficultto clean. The article of the present invention is comprised of a sheetthat may have a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. Thereis front surface and a rear surface to the sheet. At least the frontsurface of the sheet is preferably made of a water impermeable or waterrepelling material that prevents absorption of the urine and facilitatescleaning of the sheet.

The sheet is held in position on the bowl by a member that extends fromthe rear surface of the sheet and may rest on or hook over the rimsurface of the bowl. The sheet is of generally sufficient size so thatthe bottom edge preferably extends a short distance into the bowl of thetoilet to protect the interface between the seat and the toilet bowl butnot so far as it touches the water in the bowl. The top edge of thesheet extends upwardly a distance above the upper edge of the bowl. Thehigher the sheet the more protection that is provided.

The sheet is preferably made of a material that has sufficient thicknessso that it is capable of remaining upright without bending or floppingover when installed on a toilet bowl. The material may be a plasticmaterial or a plastic coated paper, a wax coated paper or any othersuitable material. The sheet is preferably foldable about one or morescore lines to reduce its size for packaging and storage purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the shield of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the shield of FIG. 1 on a toiletbowl.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the shield of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the shield of FIG. 1 in position on a toilet.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the disinfectant container for theshield of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the shield of thepresent invention when the toilet seat is in an open position.

FIG. 7 is the shield of FIG. 6 in a partially opened position.

FIG. 8 is the embodiment of FIG. 7 when the toilet seat is in a closedposition

FIG. 9 is an angled front view of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the right side of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a superior (top, bird's eye) view of the embodiment of FIG.9.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is an angled front view of the left side guard, separate fromthe present invention (embodiment of FIG. 9?).

FIG. 14 is an inferior (bottom, lower) view of the side guard spacer ofFIG. 15.

FIG. 15 is an angled inferior view of the side guard spacer of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a superior view of the base of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an inferior view of the base of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the shield, separate from the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As seen in FIG. 1 there is a sheet 10 of preferably of a flexiblematerial. The sheet may be made of a plastic or a paper coated and/orimpregnated with a plastic, an oil based compound, wax or other waterresistant and/or water repellant material. The sheet should be of asufficient thickness so that the sheet will stand upright withoutfolding or flopping over when placed in position on a toilet seat. Thesheet material preferably has a thickness greater than 3 mil. Suitableplastic material, include but are not limited to polyethylene,polypropylene and other thermoplastic materials, etc.

The sheet has a top edge 11 a bottom edge 12 and a pair of side edges 13and 14. There is a front surface 15 and a rear surface 16. The frontsurface 15 preferably has one or more score lines 17, 18 and 19 hatextend from the top edge of the shield to the bottom edge. These scorelines facilitate folding the sheet material for storage or for packagingpurposes. In addition, the score lines permit the sheet material to havea configuration that loosely approximates the arc of the toilet bowl andits rim, when the sheet in place on the bowl. In a preferred embodimentthe top edge 11 is provided with at least one handle 20 for lifting theshield and putting it in place on the bowl. In addition, the handlefacilitates removal of the shield for cleaning after use. In a preferredembodiment, the top edge is provided with a pair of additional handles21 and 22 that aid in opening and closing the sheet about the scorelines and placing the shield in position. The handles may be comprisedof any suitable material and have any configuration known in the art. Ina preferred embodiment the handles are of the same material as theshield itself and are integral with the shield.

Extending rearwardly from the shield is at least one means for retaining23 the shield in place about the toilet rim. The retaining means has agenerally horizontal member 24 extending from the rear surface of thesheet and a downwardly extending arm 25 that forms a hook to hold theshield in place. Where a single retaining means is used preferably theretaining means is of sufficient strength to support the shield in itsupright position. Preferably, there are three retaining means present23, 26 and 27. One retaining means 26 is located in the vicinity of thecenter of the rear surface when measured from the side walls. As shownin FIG. 3 the retaining means 26 has a base 26 a and a contact surface26 b which connects the retaining means to the rear surface of thesheet. The retaining means 26 may be attached to the rear surface of thesheet 16 by any suitable means. The base 26 a preferably rests on theupper surface of the rim of the toilet. Alternatively, the rear member26 may have the same configuration as retaining means 23 and 27. Theother two retaining means preferably extend rearwardly from sections 28and 29 of the rear wall that are formed by the score lines 17 and 19.Preferably, each of the retaining means is pivotal in at least ahorizontal plane to facilitate installation of the shield over the rimof the toilet bowl. Similarly, the downwardly extending arm 25 shouldalso be flexible to accommodate different toilet bowl designs.Alternatively, the retaining means may extend from the side edges 13 and14 and be pivotal about the side edge so that they can be placed overthe rim. When the retaining means extend from the side edge, they may bereadily made from the same sheet material as the remainder of theshield. A score line 30 is one means of rendering the retaining meanspivotal. In one embodiment the rear retaining means 26 need not have ahook shaped appendage. It has been found that the score line 18 in thecenter region of the sheet locates the rear wall toward the rim of thebowl without the necessity for a hook shaped retaining means in thatlocation. It may be preferable, however, to provide on or more supports26 to prevent the shield from tipping rearwardly when in place. Theretaining means and supports may be affixed to the shield by anysuitable means as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art. Forexample, the retaining means may be affixed to rear wall by means of ahinge.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the sheet is of generally sufficient size sothat the bottom edge extends a short distance into the bowl of thetoilet but not so far as it touches the water in the bowl. By extendinginto the bowl a distance the shield protects the area where the toiletseat is connected to the bowl from urine. The top edge of the sheetextends upwardly a distance above the upper edge of the bowl. The higherthe sheet the more protection that is provided from errant streams ofurine.

The shield of the present invention is preferably provided with a waterimpermeable surface for ease of cleaning and to prevent urine from beingimpregnated in the material. Although the shield may be disposable, theshield may also be cleaned by any suitable means. FIG. 5 is an exampleof one means of disinfecting the shield of the present invention. Thecontainer 50 has a front wall 51 a rear wall 52 and a pair of side walls53 and 54. There is a bottom wall 55 and a removable cover 56. In apreferred embodiment the cover is hingedly connected to the rear wall atthe upper surface 57 of the rear wall. The front wall 51 preferably hashingedly connected at its base a drip tray 58. The drip tray when not inuse is in an upright position against the front wall of the container.When the shield is to be disinfected the tray is pulled down away fromthe front wall. The shield is dipped into the disinfectant in thecontainer and removed. The shield may rest on or be placed over the driptray so that any disinfectant present can drip off the shield. The trayis provided with a pair of side walls 59 and 60 and a base wall 61 thathelp retain the tray in position against the front wall by means of afriction fit. These walls also prevent any disinfectant from soiling thefloor surface when it drips off the shield.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 depict an alternative embodiment of the shield of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the shield 70 has an axis 71separating the shield into an upper section 72 and a lower section 73.In a preferred embodiment the upper section and the lower section aremirror images of each other. The shield has a top edge 74 and a bottomedge 75. The top edge 74 has a pair of horizontal portions 76 and 77that are separated by a center arc 78 that connects the horizontalportions. The bottom edge 75 has a pair of horizontal portions 79 and 80that are separated by a center arc 81 that connects the horizontalportions. On the side of the horizontal edge opposite the center arc areside arcs 82 and 83 on the top edge and side arcs 84 and 85 on thebottom edge. Two vertical score lines 86 and 87 are located on the sheetand extend for about the midpoint of the horizontal portions on the topedge to about the midpoint of the respective horizontal portion on thebottom edge. The score lines permit sections 88 and 89 to be foldedinwardly. When sections 88 and 89 are folded inwardly the side arcs 82and 83 preferably line up with the center arc 78 and the side arcs 84and 85 preferably line up with the center arc 81 as shown in FIG. 7. Asseen in FIG. 6 there are additional score lines 90, 91, 92, and 93 onone side and score lines 94, 95, 96 and 97 on the other. These scorelines form generally a diamond shape.

FIG. 7 shows the shield in a partially opened position. As can be seenin this Figure, the side arcs line up with the center arcs. The base 100and 101 of triangles 98 and 99 formed by the score lines 90 and 92 arebisected by score line portions 102 and 103 respectively that extendfrom the apex 104 and 105 of the triangles to the respective bases.Score line portions 102 and 103 and score lines 90 and 92 and 95 and 97permit the upper section 72 to be folded over the lower section 73.Orifices 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110 and 111 provide a means totie the shield to the bowl and the toilet seat.

When the toilet seat is in its lowered position, the shield is as isshown in FIG. 8. When the shield is being lifted for use, the uppersection 72 separates from lower section 73 about the axis 71 as seen inFIG. 8. As the seat is placed in a raised position, sections 88 and 89open outwardly forming the shielding surface as shown in FIG. 6. Theshield of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 is preferable provided with a waterimpermeable surface to facilitate cleaning of the shield. In order toclean the shield the shield is removed from the bowl and seat. Ifdesired the shield can be disinfected by using the container of thepresent invention or by any other suitable means.

The shield of the present invention may be manufactured by any suitablemeans. One method of manufacturing the shield of the present inventionis by die cutting whereby a blade in the shape of the design of theshield cuts through the sheet material to form the shield.

The second embodiment of the invention is represented removed form thetoilet in its expanded form in FIG. 9. The second embodiment of theinvention consists of a shield 203 connected to a pair of side guards201 and 202 and a base 210. The shield 203 has a top edge 204, a bottomedge 205, and a pair of side edges 206 and 207. The bottom edge 205 andboth side edges 206 and 207 have attachment flaps 211, and 208 and 209,respectively. The bottom attachment flap 211 is attached to the base 210by any adhesive means, such as glue. The side attachment flaps 208 and209 are attached to the outer surfaces 212 and 213 of the side guards202 and 201, respectively. The side guards 201 and 202 have outersurfaces 213 and 212 and inner surfaces 215 and 214, respectively. Eachside guard 201 and 202 has an arc edge 217 and 216, respectively. Thearc edges 217 and 216 are cut in the same arc as the inner arc 218 ofthe base 210. Each arc has an angled edge 219 and 220. These anglededges 219 and 220 come in contact with the shield 203. The sideattachments flaps 208 and 209 wrap around the angled edges 220 and 219,respectively, to attach the shield 203 to the side guard outer surfaces212 and 213, respectively. Each side guard 201 and 202 has an attachmentpiece 221 and 222, respectively. The attachment piece 221 and 222 has anarced edge 223, 224 which is cut in the same manner as the outer arc 225of the base 210. The side guard 201 and 202 has a score line 227 and226, respectively. Score lines 226 and 227 allow the side guards 202 and201 to fold down onto the base 210. The side guards 201 and 202 alsohave attachment means 229 and 228. Attachment means 229 and 228 arecomposed of two slots 231 and 230, and 233 and 232. The attachment means228 and 229 allow for the attachment of elastic means 234 and 235, whichallow the device 200 to automatically expand when the toilet seat israised off of it side guard spacers 236 and 237 can be attached to theouter surfaces 212 and 213 of the side guards 202 and 201, respectively

FIG. 10 is an outer side view of the invention. In this perspective theside guard 202 is shown, one can also see the outer surface of the sideguard 212, the shield 203, the top edge 204, the side attachment flap208, the base 210, an attachment piece 222, a flat edge 238, theattachment mean 228 and elastic means 234; also depicted is the sideguard spacer 236. FIG. 10 shows the outer arcs 225 and 225(a) of thebase 210 extend beyond the shield 203.

When looking down on the second embodiment, as in FIG. 11, the slotmeans 246 and 247 can be seen in the base 210. Slot means 246 and 247are cut into the base 210, toward the front of the toilet. Each slotmeans 246 and 247 is composed of three straight edges 248 and 249, 250and 251, and 252 and 253. The slot means 246 and 247 are used to engagethe hinges of the toilet seat (and seat cover, if present); thus,allowing the invention 200 to fit precisely against the back surface ofthe toilet bowl. Between slot means 246 and 247 is a straight edge 225of the base 210.

FIG. 12 shows how the shield 203 is attached to the toilet. There aretwo side guard spacers, one on the outer left hand side 237 and one onthe outer right hand side 236. The two side guard spacers 236, 237,function to keep the toilet seat raised off of the invention when thetoilet seat is lowered. There are also two elastic means one on theouter left hand side 235 that attaches to the attachment mean 241 andone on the outer right hand side 234 that attaches to attachment means240. The top edge 204 of the shield 203 and the shield 203 rests againstthe toilet seat when the seat is lifted.

FIG. 13 illustrates the side guard 201 which is located and attached tothe outer edge of the shield 203. The drawing shows the outer edge 213and the inner edge 215 of the side guard 201. The side guard 201 has anangled edge 219 that is connected to the shield 203. The side guard 201also has an angled edge 217 that has an attachment means 229 towards thefront of the toilet seat. The attachment means 229 has two slots, 231and 233, cut into the side guard 201 on the angled edge 217. The figurealso shows the attachment piece 221, with its arced edge 223 and thescore line 227 at which the attachment means 221 is folded upwards at a90-degree angle from the side guard 201.

FIG. 14 depicts the side guard spacer 236. The side guard spacer has atopside 254 and bottom side 253. The side guard spacer 236 has foursides, topside 257, a bottom side 255, a right side 258 and a left side256. Each side is connected at right angles, left side 256 is connectedto top side 257 at a right angle a, top side 257 is connected to rightside 258 at a right angle d, right side 258 is connected to bottom side255 at right angle c, and bottom side 255 is connected to left side 256at right angle b. The side guard spacer 236, although shown as a square,may be any shape or size, or may not be present. There are twoattachment members, one on the length of the left side 260 and on thelength of the right side 259. The side guard spacer, 236 is attached tothe side guard, 201 at points 261 and 262 a by adhesive means.

FIG. 15 shows side guard spacers 236 and 237. These side guard spacers236 and 237 have a top surface 254, and four side surfaces 255, 256, 257and 258. The bottom of each side guard spacer is open, except for twoattachment members 259 and 260. Adhesive is applied to the outersurfaces 261 and 262 of these attachment members 259 and 260,respectively. The side spacer guard 236 and 237 is then attached to theouter surface 212 and 213 of side guards 202 and 201, respectively.

FIG. 16 shows the base 210 of the invention 200 is composed of an innerarc 218 and two outer arcs 225 and 225 b. Flat edges 238 and 239 connectthe inner arc 218 to the outer arc 225. Located on the inner arc 218 areattachment means 240 and 241. Attachment means 240 and 241 are eachcomposed of two slots 242 and 243, and 244 and 245. Attachment means 240and 241 provide articulation points for elastic means 234 and 235,respectively. Slot mean 246 and 247 are cut into the outer arc 225 ofthe base 210. The top surface 263 of the base 210 has two attachmentareas 264 and 265. These attachment areas are cut in the same manner asthe attachment pieces 221 and 222 of side guards 201 and 202,respectively. The attachment areas 264 and 265 outline areas on the topsurface 263 of base 210 where adhesive should be applied to fix the sideguards 201 and 202 to the base 210. Attachment areas 264 and 265 areeach composed of straight edges 266 and 267, and 268 and 269. Curvededges 270 and 271 complete the area to be filled with adhesive.

FIG. 17 represents the second embodiment from the perspective of thebottom surface 272 of the base 210. The outer arcs 225 and 225 b areseen. As well as slot means 246 and 247, and straight edge 225 a. Thebottom surface 272 has toilet attachment means 273 a-f. These toiletattachment means 273 a-f are fastened to the bottom surface 272 of thebase 219 on the bottom surface. The top surface of toilet attachmentmeans 273 articulates with the upper surface of the toilet bowl rim. Thetoilet attachment means 273 will not permanently fix the device to thetoilet. They are such that will allow the user to disengage the device,allowing for replacement of the device at regular intervals. The toiletattachment means 273 a-f may be Velcro® or double-sided tape. Also, thetoilet attachment means 273 a-f, may be any shape, in any number, andmay cover any part or the entire bottom surface.

FIG. 18 represents the shield 203 of the second embodiment. In thisembodiment, the shield 203, the bottom edge 205 is divided into twobottom attachment flags 274 and 275. The bottom attachment flaps 274 and275 are separated by an arc-shaped cut-out 276. The arc-shaped cut-out276 is cut in the same manner as the inner arc 218 of the base 210. Thebottom attachment flaps 274 and 275 can be attached to the top surface263 or bottom surface 273 of the base 210.

The bottom attachment flaps 274 and 275 are folded along bottom scoreline 277, which traverses the shield 203. The side attachment flaps 208and 209, which attach to side areas 202 and 201, we folded along sidescore lines 277 and 278, respectively. Diagonal score lines 281 and 282allow the shield to fold on itself when the device is collapsed underthe toilet seat.

On the reverse side 282 of the shield 203 supports 283 and 284 can beattached. These supports 283 and 284 will give the shield 203 theability to resist urine flow.

1. A protective shield for a toilet bowl and a toilet seat connected tosaid toilet, said toilet having an upper edge on which said toilet seatrests, said upper edge having an inside surface and an outside surface,said shield comprising a sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, and apair of side edges, a front surface and a rear surface, said sheethaving at least one retaining means in proximity to the rear surface ofsaid sheet for maintaining said sheet in position on said toilet, thebottom edge of said shield extending into said toilet without touchingany of the water in the bowl and a top edge that extends so that thearea where the toilet seat is connected to the toilet bowl is protectedby said shield.
 2. The protective shield according to claim 1 whereinthere are a pair of retaining means extending from the rear surface ofsaid sheet near the side edges of said sheet.
 3. The protective shieldaccording to claim 2 wherein there is a least one support in the area ofthe center of the rear surface.
 4. The protective shield according toclaim 2 wherein said retaining means comprises a support having a firstend and a second end, said first end being connected to said rearsurface and extending outwardly therefrom, said support having an armextending downwardly from said support at said second end.
 5. Theprotective shield according to claim 2 wherein said retaining meanscomprises a support having a first end and a second end, said first endbeing pivotally connected to said side edge and extending outwardlytherefrom, said support having an arm extending downwardly from saidsupport at said second end.
 6. The protective shield according to claim2 wherein there is at least one vertical score line extending from thetop edge to the bottom edge of said sheet for folding said sheet.
 7. Theprotective shield according to claim 1 further comprising a means ofdisinfecting the shield of the present invention.
 8. The protectiveshield according to claim 7 wherein said means of disinfecting comprisesa container having a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls,a bottom wall and an opening having a removable cover.
 9. The protectiveshield according to claim 8 wherein said cover is hingedly connected tothe rear wall at an upper surface of the rear wall.
 10. The protectiveshield according to claim 9 wherein the front wall has a drip trayhingedly connected at a lower surface of said front wall and whereinsaid drip tray when not in use is in an upright position against thefront wall of the container and when the shield is to disinfected thetray is adapted to be pulled down away from the front wall.
 11. Theprotective shield according to claim 11 wherein the tray is providedwith a pair of side walls and a base wall that retains the tray inposition against the front wall by means of a friction fit.
 12. Theprotective shield according to claim 2 wherein the sheet is a plasticcoated paper.
 13. The protective shield according to claim 2 whereinthere is at least one handle on said top edge.
 14. The protective shieldaccording to claim 2 wherein said sheet generally conforms to the shapeof the inside surface of the edge of a toilet bowl in the area where thetoilet set is connected to the toilet.
 15. A protective shield for atoilet bowl and a toilet seat connected to said toilet, said toilethaving an upper edge on which said toilet seat rests, said upper edgehaving an inside surface and an outside surface, said shield comprisinga sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of side edges, afront surface and a rear surface, said shield being attached to saidtoilet bowl and seat such that the shield is in a folded condition whensaid seat is in a lowered position and is opened when said seat is in araised position.
 16. The protective shield according to claim 15 whereinsaid sheet has a horizontal score line foldably separating the shieldinto an upper section and a lower section, said top edge having a pairof horizontal portions that are separated by a center arc that connectsthe horizontal portions, said bottom edge having a pair of horizontalportions that are separated by a center arc that connects the horizontalportions and wherein said horizontal portions have on the side of thehorizontal portion opposite the center arc a side arc, said sheet havingtwo vertical score lines located extending from about the midpoint ofthe horizontal portions on the top edge to about the midpoint of therespective horizontal portion on the bottom edge thereby forming a pairof side sections, the score lines permitting said side sections to befolded inwardly.
 17. The protective shield according to claim 16 whereinwhen said side sections are folded inwardly the side arcs line up withthe center arc.